Standup flexible pouch and method for making a standup flexible pouch

ABSTRACT

A standup flexible pouch having an asymmetrical shape includes a front wall, a back wall, and a gusset having a back gusset panel and a front gusset panel that is offset from the back gusset panel. The standup flexible pouch is formed from a sheet of flexible packaging material, and, when the pouch is filled, the front wall and the front gusset panel protrude outwardly from the back wall, forming a skull shape. The lower portion of the front wall and the front gusset panel of the gusset are sealed together along opposing miter gusset regions to further effect the skull shape of the pouch. The difference in length between the front wall and the back wall is directly proportional to the offset, the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch height is approximately one-to-one and the relationship of the pouch width to the gusset width is approximately two-to-one. The standup flexible pouch has opposing gusset seal flaps which can be used to add further dimension to the skull shape of the pouch, such as by cutting them to resemble cat whiskers. A method of making the standup flexible pouch is also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the packaging industry, and moreparticularly to a standup flexible pouch and a method for making astandup flexible pouch.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Metal cans and glass and plastic bottles have traditionally beenused to package liquid and solid food products. More recently, in aneffort to overcome problems associated with these types of packaging,flexible packaging material has been used. The flexible material is lessexpensive, provides for a lighter package, and the packages take up lessspace when empty than metal, glass, or rigid plastic containers.

[0003] However, the early flexible containers were also problematic.These containers were produced from relatively thick, expensive materialthat was unstable when placed on a store shelf, and therefore requiredsupport. Further, the means of producing these flexible containersresulted in structural weaknesses along the bottom portion of thecontainer, as well as interior crevices in the bottoms and corners thatacted as bacterial traps. The methods employed to produce thesecontainers were complicated, requiring several welding steps, whichoften had to be performed with the container in the vertical position.

[0004] In order to overcome these problems, flexible containers weredeveloped using a single sheet of flexible material, folded in such amanner so as to result in a container that, when filled, stands uprightwithout additional support, such as those found in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,135,464 and 5,273,362. These containers are more lightweight and lessexpensive to produce than containers made from metal, glass, or rigidplastic materials.

[0005] It is often desirable, however, in order to better attractconsumers to products and to provide a more aesthetically pleasingcontainer, to produce flexible containers of various alternative shapes.In particular, it is desirable to produce flexible containers ofalternative shapes that are still inexpensive to produce and that arestill capable of standing upright on the store shelf. One example is apouch shaped like a skull that can be pre-printed with the face of aparticular character. Previous methods used to produce standup flexiblepouches of alternative shapes have required alterations to be made tothe amount of material used to make the pouch, as well as having to diecut the material, which is very expensive. This in turn resulted in areduction in the rate at which the pouches are constructed and filledwith the product. Therefore, it is also desirable to be able to producethese pouches using the same machinery with little to no modificationsand the same or nearly the same amount of flexible material as that usedto produce the symmetrical, standard pouches, and to be able to fillthese pouches at the same rate as the symmetrical pouches.

[0006] Therefore, what is needed in the art is a standup flexible pouchhaving an asymmetrical shape, such as a shape that resembles a skull,that can be fabricated in the same manner as known, symmetrical standupflexible pouches using the same or nearly the same amount of flexiblematerial and with little to no modification to the machinery, and thatcan be filled with product at the same rate as known, symmetricalstandup flexible pouches.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention satisfies the need described above byproviding a standup, flexible pouch comprising a gusset that has a backgusset panel and a front gusset panel, the front gusset panel and backgusset panel being connected to one another and the front gusset panelbeing larger than the back gusset panel. The width of the front gussetpanel and the width of the back gusset panel together equal the gussetwidth. Further, the standup flexible pouch comprises a back wall and afront wall, the back gusset panel being attached to the lower portion ofthe back wall, and the front gusset panel of the gusset being attachedto the lower portion of the front wall. In addition, the back wall, thefront wall, and the gusset are made of a flexible sheet of material.

[0008] The difference between the width of the front gusset panel andthe width of the back gusset panel is known as the offset. Stateddifferently, when the standup flexible pouch of the present invention isunfilled and flattened, the front gusset panel and the back gusset panelare flattened against one another. The portion of the front gusset panelthat extends beyond the back gusset panel, and therefore is notflattened against a corresponding portion of the back gusset panel, isthe offset. The offset of the front gusset panel from the back gussetpanel can range from between about 1% to about 99% of the gusset width.By comparison, when a symmetrical standup pouch disclosed by the priorart is unfilled and flattened, there is no offset.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the back wall, frontwall and gusset are integrally connected end-to-end and are formed froma continuous sheet of flexible material. The pouch resembles a skull asa result of the offset, which causes the front wall to be longer thanthe back wall, and the front wall and the front gusset panel to protrudeoutwardly from the back wall and the back gusset panel when the flexiblematerial is folded. The difference in length between the front wall andthe back wall is directly proportional to the offset. The skull shape isfurther achieved by heat sealing a portion of the front gusset panel ofthe gusset to a portion of the front wall, forming an angular jaw line.In particular, the lower portion of the front wall is sealed to thefront gusset panel across opposing gusset seal regions to form opposinggusset seal flaps. The opposing gusset seal flaps can then be removedfrom the pouch, or they can be used to add another dimension to thepouch. For example, the opposing gusset seal flaps can be cut so as toresemble cat whiskers, or they can serve as the location forproof-of-purchase symbols or other collectible features. The opposinggusset seal flaps can also be heat-sealed so as to curl underneath thepouch.

[0010] Accordingly, the standup flexible pouch of the present inventioncan be made using the same amount of material as a conventional standupflexible pouch with only a slight reduction in the volume of the pouch,as compared to the volume of the conventional pouch. In the alternative,a small amount of additional material can be used to make a standupflexible pouch of the present invention that has the same volume as aconventional standup flexible pouch.

[0011] According to another aspect of this invention, a method forforming a standup flexible pouch comprises the steps of providing thesheet of flexible material described above, folding the sheet offlexible material to form a back wall, a front wall, and a gusset, thegusset comprising a back gusset panel and a front gusset panel that islarger than the back gusset panel, and sealing portions of the frontwall, back wall and gusset together such that the upper portion of thefront wall is connected to the upper portion of the back wall, the backgusset panel is attached to the lower portion of the back wall, and thefront gusset panel is attached to the lower portion of the front wall.

[0012] In one embodiment of the invention, the front gusset panel of thegusset and the lower portion of the front wall are sealed togetheracross first opposing gusset seal regions, and the back gusset panel ofthe gusset and the lower portion of the back wall are sealed to oneanother across second opposing gusset seal regions, the first opposinggusset seal regions being larger than the second opposing gusset sealregions. The opposing gusset seal regions can take a variety of shapesthat are known in the packaging industry, including miter, elliptical,parabolic, and doyne. The shape chosen for the opposing gusset sealregions will determine the shape of the jaw line of the filled standupflexible pouch. According to a particular embodiment of the presentinvention, the first opposing gusset seal regions and the secondopposing gusset seal regions are mitered. The difference in the width ofthe front gusset panel and the width of the back gusset panel is theoffset, and the difference in length between the front wall and the backwall is approximately directly proportional to the offset. However, itis understood that, in the machinery process, it is common for the frontwall to be slightly longer than the back wall so as to ensure thatcontents of the pouch will not be revealed to the consumer. Further, ina preferred embodiment of the present invention, the relationship of thegusset width to the pouch height is approximately in the range ofone-to-one, and the relationship of the pouch width to the gusset widthis approximately two-to-one.

[0013] The actual dimensions of the standup flexible pouch can be variedin order to achieve the desired skull shape; for example,increasing theoffset will result in the standup flexible pouch having a more pointedchin. Varying the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch heightand the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch width can alsoserve to vary the dimensions of the standup flexible pouch so as toachieve the desired result. Accordingly, the desired shape of thestandup flexible pouch is achieved with only minor modifications to themachinery and the material used to make known, symmetrical standupflexible pouches.

[0014] The standup flexible pouch of the present invention is desirablymade of a flexible packaging material. Particularly suitable packagingmaterials include paper, foil, polyester, polypropylene, nylon, vinyl,and polyethylene, as well as combinations thereof. According to apreferred embodiment of the present invention, a polyester polyethylenelamination is used.

[0015] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide astandup flexible pouch having an asymmetrical shape that can be formedfrom a piece of material only slightly different in size from a piece ofmaterial used to form known standup flexible pouches having the samevolume.

[0016] Another, object of the present invention is to provide a standupflexible pouch having an asymmetrical shape that can be formed from thesame piece of material used to form known standup flexible pouches withonly a slight reduction in volume as compared to known standup flexiblepouches.

[0017] Another object of the present invention is to provide a standupflexible pouch having an asymmetrical shape that can be formed using thesame machinery used to form known standup flexible pouches, with onlyminor modifications to the machinery being required.

[0018] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide astandup flexible pouch having an asymmetrical shape that can be filledwith product at the same rate and the same amount of product as knownstandup flexible pouches.

[0019] Still another object of the present invention is to provide astandup flexible pouch have a shape resembling a skull and that can beprinted with the face of a character so as to be more attracting toconsumers.

[0020] Still another object of the present invention is to provide aninexpensive method of producing a standup flexible pouch having anasymmetrical shape.

[0021] Still another object of the present invention is to provide amethod of producing a standup flexible pouch having an asymmetricalshape using the same machinery as that used to produce conventionalstandup flexible pouches, with only minor modifications to the machinerybeing required.

[0022] Still another an object of the present invention is to provide amethod of producing a standup flexible pouch having an asymmetricalshape that can be formed from a piece of material only slightlydifferent in size from a piece of material used to form known standupflexible pouches having the same volume.

[0023] Still another object of the present invention is to provide amethod of producing a standup flexible pouch having an asymmetricalshape that can be formed from the same piece of material used to formknown standup flexible pouches with only a slight reduction in volume ascompared to known standup flexible pouches.

[0024] Still another object of the present invention is to provide amethod of producing a standup flexible pouch having an asymmetricalshape that can be filled with product at the same rate as conventionalstandup flexible pouches.

[0025] Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will beappreciated by those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, drawings and claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0026]FIG. 1a is a top view of the sheet of flexible material used tomake a standup flexible pouch according to methods disclosed by theprior art.

[0027]FIG. 1b is a top view of a sheet of flexible material used to makea standup flexible pouch according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0028]FIG. 2a is a front view of a flat, unfilled standup flexible pouchdisclosed by the prior art.

[0029]FIG. 2b is a front view of a flat, unfilled standup flexible pouchmade according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030]FIG. 3a is a side view of a filled standup flexible pouchdisclosed by the prior art.

[0031]FIG. 3b is a side view of a filled standup flexible pouch madeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 4a is a rear view of a standup flexible pouch made accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033]FIG. 4b is a front view of a standup flexible pouch made accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034]FIG. 5a is a bottom view of a standup flexible pouch disclosed bythe prior art.

[0035]FIG. 5b is a bottom view of standup flexible pouch made accordingto an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 6 is a front view of a standup flexible pouch having a frontwall that has been decorated with a printed design according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] As summarized above, the present invention encompasses a standup,flexible pouch having an asymmetrical shape, and a method for makingsuch a standup flexible pouch. The structure of a standup flexible pouchmade according to an embodiment of the present invention is describedbelow, followed by a description of a method for making the standupflexible pouch.

[0038]FIG. 3A illustrates a filled standup flexible pouch 8 disclosed bythe prior art. The pouch 8 has a front wall 11, a back wall 13, and agusset 15. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, the gusset 15 of the prior artpouch 8 is comprised of two equal sized panels 17 a and 17 b.

[0039] By comparison, FIG. 3B illustrates a filled standup flexiblepouch 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pouch10 has a front wall 12, a back wall 14, and a gusset 16. As illustratedin FIG. 5B, the gusset 16 is comprised of a back gusset panel 18 and afront gusset panel 20, the back gusset panel 18 being connected to thelower portion 22 of the back wall 14, and the front gusset panel 20being connected to the lower portion 24 of the front wall 12. The upperportion 26 of the back wall 14 is connected to the upper portion 28 ofthe front wall 12.

[0040]FIG. 1A illustrates a continuous sheet of flexible material 29that can be used to make a standup flexible pouch 8 disclosed by theprior art. By comparison, FIG. 1B illustrates a continuous sheet offlexible material 30 that can be used to make a standup flexible pouch10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fold line 32 adelineates a boundary between the front wall 12 and the front gussetpanel 20 and bisects the first opposing gusset seal regions 34 a and 34b; fold line 32 b delineates a boundary between the front gusset panel20 and the back gusset panel 18; and fold line 32 c delineates aboundary between the back gusset panel 18 and the lower portion 22 ofthe back wall 14 and bisects the second opposing gusset seal regions 36a and 36 b.

[0041] The first opposing gusset seal regions 34 a and 34 b and thesecond opposing gusset seal regions 36 a and 36 b can take a variety ofshapes that are known in the packaging industry, including miter,elliptical, parabolic, and doyne. The shape chosen for the firstopposing gusset seal regions 34 a and 34 b and the second opposinggusset seal regions 36 a and 36 b will determine the shape of the jawline of the filled standup flexible pouch. According to a particularembodiment of the present invention, the first opposing gusset sealregions 34 a and 34 b and the second opposing gusset seal regions 36 aand 36 b are both mitered.

[0042] As shown by FIG. 1A, the prior art discloses a continuous sheetof flexible material having, fold lines 31 a, 31 b and 31 c, all ofwhich are equidistant from one another. However, according to oneembodiment of the present invention, fold line 32 a is located at adistance from fold line 32 b that is greater than the distance betweenfold line 32 b and fold line 32 c so as to produce an asymmetricalstandup flexible pouch. The distance between fold lines 32 a and 32 b isthe width of the front gusset panel 20, and the distance between foldlines 32 b and 32 c is the width of the back gusset panel 18. Thedifference between the width of the front gusset panel 20 and the widthof the back gusset panel 18 is the offset of the front gusset panel 20from the back gusset panel 18. The distance between fold lines 32 a and32 c is the gusset 16 width. Further, according to one embodiment of thepresent invention, the difference in length between the front wall 12and the back wall 14 is approximately directly proportional to theoffset. The farther the front wall 12 is desired to protrude from theback wall 14, the larger the offset will be. The offset can further bedescribed as the portion of the front gusset panel 20 that is notflattened against a corresponding portion of the back gusset panel 18when the pouch 10 is unfilled and flattened. For example, if the backgusset panel has a width of four inches, and the front gusset panel haswidth of 8 inches, the offset is four inches. The offset can range fromabout 1% the gusset 16 width to about 99% the gusset 16 width, dependingon the desired shape of the standup flexible pouch 10. In the examplestated above, the offset is four inches, and the gusset 16 width istwelve inches, so the offset is 33% the gusset 16 width. According to apreferred embodiment of the present invention, the offset ranges betweenabout 10% the gusset 16 width to about 80% the gusset 16 width. In amore preferred embodiment of the invention, the offset ranges betweenabout 20% the gusset 16 width to about 60% the gusset 16 width.

[0043] Further, according to one embodiment of the present invention,the relationship of the gusset 16 width to the pouch 10 height is aratio between about 100:1 and about 1:100, and the relationship of thepouch 10 width to the gusset 16 width is a ratio between about 100:1 toabout 1:10. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, therelationship of the gusset 16 width to the pouch 10 height is a ratiobetween about 10:1 and about 1:10, and the relationship of the pouch 10width to the gusset 16 width is a ratio between about 10:1 to about1.1: 1. In a more preferred embodiment, the relationship of the gusset16 width to the pouch 10 height is a ratio of approximately 1:1, and therelationship of the pouch 10 width to the gusset 16 width is a ratio ofapproximately 2:1.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1A, the prior art discloses a continuous sheetof flexible material having two sets of opposing gusset seal regions 33a, 33 b, 33 c and 33 d, all of which are equal in area to one another.By comparison, the area of the first opposing gusset seal regions 34 aand 34 b is larger than the area of the second opposing gusset sealregions 36 a and 36 b. According to one embodiment of the presentinvention, the first opposing gusset seal regions 34 a and 34 b and thesecond opposing gusset seal regions 36 a and 36 b are both mitered. Foldline 32 a bisects the first opposing miter gusset seal regions 34 a and34 b, and fold line 32 c bisects the second opposing miter gusset sealregions 36 a and 36 b. The ratio of the area of the first opposing mitergusset seal regions 34 a and 34 b to the area of the second opposingmiter gusset seal regions 36 a and 36 b is directly proportional to thedifference between the width of the front gusset panel 20 and the widthof the back gusset panel 18. A miter seal requires that the firstopposing miter gusset seal regions 34 a and 34 b and the second opposingmiter gusset seal regions 36 a and 36 b be right triangles having two 45degree angles. As the vertical side of the first opposing miter gussetseal regions 34 a and 34 b is equal to the width of the front gussetpanel 20, the horizontal side of the first opposing miter gusset sealregions 34 a and 34 b must also be equal to the width of the frontgusset panel 20 in order to achieve a right triangle having two 45degree angles, the area of the first opposing miter gusset seal regions34 a and 34 b is directly proportional to the width of the front gussetpanel 20. Likewise, the area of the second opposing miter gusset sealregions 36 a and 36 b is directly proportional to the width of the backgusset panel 18.

[0045] As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the dimensionsof the front wall 12, the back wall 14, the front gusset panel 20, theback gusset panel 22, the first opposing miter gusset seal regions 34 aand 34 b, and the second opposing miter gusset seal regions 36 a and 36b, as well as the distance between fold lines 32 a and 32 b and thedistance between fold lines 32 b and 32 c, can vary depending on thedesired overall size of the pouch 10.

[0046] The standup flexible pouch 10 is suitably made by using machineryknown to those of skill in the art, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,135,464, col.4, 1. 65 through col. 5, 1. 5. As will be understoodby one of ordinary skill in the art, only the creaser bars and thereverse plow nose of the horizontal poucher need to be adjusted in orderto achieve the desired offset of the front gusset panel from the backgusset panel, and thus to achieve the desired dimensions of the pouch10. The creaser bars and the reverse plow nose are adjusted usingmethods known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In a preferredmethod, the creaser bars and the reverse plow nose are moved off of thecenter line of the horizontal poucher in order to achieve the desiredoffset.

[0047] In one embodiment of the present invention, the continuous sheet30 is folded along fold lines 32 a, 32 b and 32 c; the lower portion 24of the front wall 12 is sealed to the front gusset panel 20; the lowerportion 22 of the back wall 14 is sealed to the back gusset panel 18;and the upper portion 28 of the front wall 12 is sealed to the upperportion 22 of the back wall 14. In particular, the lower portion 24 ofthe front wall 12 is peripherally heat-sealed to the front gusset panel20; the lower portion 22 of the back 14 is peripherally heat-sealed tothe back gusset panel 18; and the upper portion 28 of the front wall 12is peripherally heat-sealed to the upper portion 22 of the back wall 14using methods known to those of skill in the art, such as the methoddisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,362, col. 10, 11. 5-21.

[0048] According to one embodiment of the invention, when the continuoussheet 30 is folded along fold line 32 a, the first opposing gusset sealregions 34 a and 34 b are folded in half. When the pouch is formed, thetwo halves of the gusset seal region 34 a are sealed together, as arethe two halves of the gusset seal region 34 b, forming the opposinggusset seal flaps 38. The opposing gusset seal flaps 38 can then be cutoff of the pouch and discarded without affecting the integrity of thepouch 10. The opposing gusset seal flaps 38 can also be used to addadditional dimension to the pouch 10, such as by cutting the opposinggusset seal flaps 38 so as to resemble whiskers. The opposing gussetseal flaps 38 can also be used as a location for proof-of-purchase orother symbols. Alternatively, the opposing gusset seal flaps 38 can beheat-sealed at a higher temperature on the top side of the opposinggusset seal flaps 38 than on the bottom side of the opposing gusset sealflaps 38, which will cause the opposing gusset seal flaps 38 to curlunderneath the pouch 10.

[0049] Once the pouch 10 is formed, it may be filled with product andsealed. This procedure may be performed according to methods known tothose of skill in the art, such that as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,135,464, col. 8, 11. 6-19. In one embodiment of the present invention,the pouch 10 is filled with a food product, such as a breakfast cereal.

[0050] As can be seen in FIG. 3B, the front wall 12 is longer than theback wall 14, such that, when filled with product, the front wall 12protrudes outwardly from the back wall 14 and forms a chin 40 and jaws42, resembling a skull. This is particularly true when the front wall 12has been printed with the face of a character 44, as can be seen in FIG.6.

[0051]FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate the difference in appearance betweenthe frontal appearance of a flat, unfilled standup flexible pouch 8disclosed by the prior art and a flat, unfilled standup flexible pouch10 disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4A and 4Billustrate the difference in appearance between the front wall 12 andthe back wall 14 of the pouch 10 disclosed in one embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0052] It should be understood that the foregoing relates to particularembodiments of the present invention, and that numerous changes may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the invention asdefined by the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A standup flexible pouch, comprising a back wall; a frontwall longer than the back wall and having an upper portion connected toan upper portion of the back wall; and a gusset connecting a lowerportion of the back wall to a lower portion of the front wall, thegusset comprising a back gusset panel and a front gusset panel connectedto the back gusset panel, the back gusset panel attached to the lowerportion of the back wall, the front gusset panel attached to the lowerportion of the front wall, the front gusset panel being offset from theback gusset panel, and the back wall, the front wall, and the gussetmade of flexible sheet material.
 2. A standup flexible pouch as in claim1 wherein the back wall, the front wall and the gusset are integrallyconnected end-to-end and are formed from a continuous sheet of flexiblepackaging material.
 3. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 2 whereinthe continuous sheet of flexible packaging material is selected from thegroup consisting of paper, foil, polypropylene, nylon, vinyl, andpolyethylene.
 4. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 3 wherein thecontinuous sheet of flexible packaging material a polyester polyethylenelamination.
 5. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 2 wherein the backwall, the front wall and the gusset are heat sealed to one another.
 6. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 5 wherein the back wall, the frontwall and the gusset are peripherally heat sealed to one another.
 7. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 1 wherein the offset is between about1% to about 99% the gusset width.
 8. A standup flexible pouch as inclaim 7 wherein the offset is between about 10% to about 80% the gussetwidth.
 9. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 8 wherein the offset isbetween about 20% to about 60% the gusset width.
 10. A standup flexiblepouch as in claim 1 wherein the difference in length between the frontwall and the back wall is approximately directly proportional to theoffset, the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch height is aratio between about 100:1 and about 1:100, and the relationship-of thepouch width to the gusset width is a ratio between about 100:1 and about1:10.
 11. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 10 wherein therelationship of the gusset width to the pouch height is a ratio betweenabout 10:1 and about 1:10.
 12. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 11wherein the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch height is 1:1.13. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 10 wherein the relationship ofthe pouch width to the gusset width is a ratio between about 10:1 toabout 1.1:1.
 14. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 13 wherein therelationship of the pouch width to the gusset width is 2:1.
 15. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 1 wherein the back wall, the frontwall and the gusset are sealed to one another such that, when the pouchis filled with product, the front wall and the front gusset panelprotrude outwardly from the back wall and form jaws, a chin and a face.16. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 1 wherein the front wall isdecorated with a printed design.
 17. A standup flexible pouch as inclaim 16 wherein the printed design is a face of a character.
 18. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 1 wherein the front gusset panel andthe front wall are sealed to one another across first opposing gussetseal regions and the back gusset panel and the back wall are sealed toone another across second opposing gusset seal regions, the firstopposing gusset seal regions being larger than the second opposinggusset seal regions.
 19. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 18 whereinthe first opposing gusset regions are larger than the second opposingregions in direct proportion to the difference between the length of thefront gusset panel and the back gusset panel.
 20. A standup flexiblepouch as in claim 18 wherein the first opposing gusset seal regions andthe second opposing gusset seal regions have a shape selected from thegroup comprising elliptical, parabolic, doyne, and mitered.
 21. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 20 wherein the first opposing gussetseal regions and the second opposing gusset seal regions have a miteredshape.
 22. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 18 wherein the frontgusset panel and the front wall are sealed to one another across firstopposing gusset seal regions to form opposing gusset seal flaps.
 23. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 22 wherein the opposing gusset sealflaps are cut to resemble animal whiskers.
 24. A standup flexible pouchas in claim 22 wherein the opposing gusset seal flaps are heat sealed soas to curl the opposing gusset seal flaps underneath the standupflexible pouch.
 25. A method of making a standup flexible pouch,comprising the steps of: providing a sheet of flexible material having alength and a width; folding the sheet of flexible material so as to forma back wall having an upper portion and a lower portion, a front walllonger than the back wall and having an upper portion and a lowerportion, and a gusset connecting a lower portion of the back wall to thelower portion of the front wall, the gusset comprising a back gussetpanel and a front gusset panel connected to the back gusset panel, theback gusset panel attached to the lower portion of the back wall, thefront gusset panel attached to the lower portion of the front wall, andthe front gusset panel being offset from the back gusset panel; andsealing portions of the front wall, back wall and gusset together suchthat the upper portion of the front wall is connected to the upperportion of the back wall, the back gusset panel is attached to the lowerportion of the back wall, and the front gusset panel is attached to thelower portion of the front wall.
 26. A method as in claim 25 wherein thesheet of flexible material is selected from the group consisting ofpaper, foil, polyester, polypropylene, nylon, vinyl, and polyethylene.27. A method as in claim 26 wherein the sheet of flexible material is apolyester polyethylene lamination.
 28. A method as in claim 25 whereinthe step of sealing includes heat sealing the back wall, the front walland the gusset to one another.
 29. A method as in claim 25 wherein theoffset is between about 1% to about 99% the gusset width.
 30. A methodas in claim 29 wherein the offset is between about 10% to about 80% thegusset width.
 31. A method as in claim 30 wherein the offset is betweenabout 20% to about 60% the gusset width.
 32. A method as in claim 25wherein the difference in length between the front wall and the backwall is approximately directly proportional to the offset, A standupflexible pouch as in claim 1 wherein the difference in length betweenthe front wall and the back wall is approximately directly proportionalto the offset, the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch heightis a ratio between about 100:1 and about 1:100, and the relationship ofthe pouch width to the gusset width is a ratio between about 100:1 andabout 1:10.
 33. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 32 wherein therelationship of the gusset width to the pouch height is a ratio betweenabout 10:1 and about 1:10.
 34. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 33wherein the relationship of the gusset width to the pouch height is 1:1.35. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 32 wherein the relationship ofthe pouch width to the gusset width is a ratio between about 10:1 toabout 1.1:1.
 36. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 35 wherein therelationship of the pouch width to the gusset width is 2:1.
 37. A methodas in claim 25 wherein the back wall, the front wall and the gusset aresealed to one another such that, when the pouch is filled with product,the front wall and the front gusset panel of the gusset protrudeoutwardly from the back wall and form jaws, a chin and a face.
 38. Amethod as in claim 25 further comprising decorating the front gussetpanel with a printed design.
 39. A method as in claim 38 wherein theprinted design is a face of a character.
 40. A method as in claim 38wherein the front gusset panel is decorated with a printed design priorto folding the sheet of flexible material.
 41. A method as in claim 25wherein the front gusset panel of the gusset and the front wall aresealed to one another across first opposing gusset seal regions and theback gusset panel of the gusset and the back wall are sealed to oneanother across second opposing gusset seal regions, the first opposinggusset seal regions being larger than the second opposing gusset sealregions.
 42. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 41 wherein the firstopposing gusset regions are larger than the second opposing regions indirect proportion to the difference between the length of the frontgusset panel and the back gusset panel.
 43. A standup flexible pouch asin claim 41 wherein the first opposing gusset seal regions and thesecond opposing gusset seal regions have a shape selected from the groupcomprising elliptical, parabolic, doyne, and mitered.
 44. A standupflexible pouch as in claim 43 wherein the first opposing gusset sealregions and the second opposing gusset seal regions have a miteredshape.
 45. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 41 wherein the frontgusset panel and the front wall are sealed to one another across firstopposing gusset seal regions to form opposing gusset seal flaps.
 46. Astandup flexible pouch as in claim 45 wherein the opposing gusset sealflaps are cut to resemble animal whiskers.
 47. A standup flexible pouchas in claim 45 wherein the opposing gusset seal flaps are heat sealed soas to curl the opposing gusset seal flaps underneath the standupflexible pouch.
 48. A method as in claim 25 wherein the folding stepcomprises folding the sheet of flexible polymer film along a first foldline, a second fold lines and a third fold line each extending acrossthe width of the flexible sheet and spaced from one another, the firstfold line delineating a boundary between the front wall and the frontgusset panel, the second fold line delineating a boundary between theback wall and the back gusset panel, and the third fold line delineatinga boundary between the front gusset panel and the back gusset panel, thedifference between the distance between the first fold line and thesecond fold line and the distance between the second fold line and thethird line comprising the offset of the front gusset panel from the backgusset panel.
 49. A method as in claim 48 wherein the first fold line,the second fold line and the third fold line are all parallel to oneanother.
 50. A method as in claim 48 wherein the first fold line bisectsfirst opposing miter gusset seal regions and the third fold line bisectssecond opposing miter gusset seal regions, wherein the first opposingmiter gusset seal regions are larger than the second opposing mitergusset seal regions.
 51. A standup flexible pouch as in claim 50 whereinthe first opposing miter gusset regions are larger than the secondopposing miter regions in direct proportion to the difference betweenthe length of the front gusset panel and the back gusset panel.
 52. Amethod as in claim 48 wherein the distance between the first fold lineand the second fold line is greater than the distance between the secondfold line and the third fold line by a ratio of between about 1% toabout 99% the gusset width.
 53. A method as in claim 52 wherein thedistance between the first fold line and the second fold line is greaterthan the distance between the second fold line and the third fold lineby a ratio of between about 10% to about 80% the gusset width.
 54. Amethod as in claim 53 wherein the distance between the first fold lineand the second fold line is greater than the distance between the secondfold line and the third fold line by a ratio of between about 20% toabout 60% the gusset width.